Good Morning RallyPoint on this, 23 February, 2021, thank you for your service. Here is your history for the Vietnam War on this day 23 February through the years of the war. Also today I have the honor of introducing RP members to three (3) Medal of Honor recipients, one (1) Marine, and two (2) Army due to actions taken on this day 23 February in Vietnam History.
Welcome home all Veterans.. and to those that gave their all, …may you rest in peace...!

Today, 23 February in Vietnam war history;


23 February 1966, The 4/11 Marines arrive in Vietnam.

23 February 1966 – 24 February 1966, The Battle of Suoi Bong Trang was fought on the night of 23–24 February 1966 between the U.S. 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and Australian 1 RAR and PAVN/VC. The battle occurred during Operation Rolling Stone, a major American security operation to protect engineers building a tactically important road in the vicinity of Tan Binh, in central Binh Duong Province, 30 kilometers (19 mi) northwest of Bien Hoa Air Base. The battle resulted 154 PAVN/VC killed and 15 captured and 11 U.S. killed

23 February 1966, It was reported that 90,000 (about 14%) South Vietnamese deserted the army in 1965.

23 February 1967, The 523d Eng Co arrives in Vietnam.

23 February 1967, Naval Gunfire against targets in NVN authorized from17°N to 20°N. SEA DRAGON operations extended to 20°N.

23 February 1967, Two US POWs are released by the enemy and returned to US control at Lai Khe in Binh Duong Province.

23 February 1967, American troops began the largest offensive of the war, near the Cambodian border. In order to deny the Vietcong cover, and allow men to see through the dense vegetation, herbicides were dumped on the forests near the South Vietnamese borders as well as Cambodia and Laos.

23 February 1967 – 27 February 1967, Operation Pulaski, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines search and destroy operation, Quảng Nam Province. Contact during the entire operation was light. Results: 1 enemy killed, 2 detained, 2 US KIA, 3 US WIA.

23 February 1967 – 5 March 1967, Operation Kirribilli, 1ATF, 5RAR, 6RAR, A Sqn 3 Cav, 1 Fld Rgt, 3 SAS Sqn. Execution: Operation consisted in a series of company-size patrols around Nui Dat commencing beyond a 5 km radius from the center of the base. No contact was made with the enemy. Results: none.

23 February 1968 – 26 February 1968, General Wheeler, Major General William E. DePuy and Philip Habib visited South Vietnam. During the visit Wheeler and Westmoreland prepared a reinforcement request for up to 205,000 additional troops to support all possible contingencies in Vietnam.

23 February 1969, North Vietnamese forces attempted to mount a second “general offensive” similar to the massive Tet Offensive of 1968. In what came to be known as “Tet 1969,” or sometimes “Mini-Tet,” Communist troops launched simultaneous artillery and infantry attacks against more than 100 population centers throughout South Vietnam. Communist forces target Saigon and other cities and installations with mortar and rocket fire. MACV commander General Abrams quickly orders a four-day retaliatory bombardment of North Vietnam below the 19th parallel using both air strikes and naval artillery. In March, President Nixon orders further retaliatory air strikes known as Operation MENU. The erratic Communist offensive lasts until June.
While this offensive was far weaker than the 1968 version, it nonetheless resulted in the deaths of 209 American service people on February 23 alone. Hundreds more casualties followed in the ensuing days.

23 February 1969, A PAVN rocket attack on Da Nang Air Base destroyed a 450,000 gallon fuel tank beside the base and damaged a Marine A-6 Intruder.

23 February 1969, PAVN sappers attacked Hill 327 and the positions of the 2nd Battalion 7th Marines northwest of the Hill, both attacks were beaten back with 18 Marines killed and 80 wounded while the PAVN lost 75 killed or captured.

23 February 1969, The PAVN 271st and 272nd Regiments attacked Patrol Base Diamond I occupied by the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. The attack was repulsed with artillery and gunship fire with an estimated 118 PAVN killed and two captured.

23 February 1969, Pres. Nixon ordered plans for the secret bombing of Cambodia.

23 February 1971, New ARVN I Corps commander Lieutenant General Đỗ Cao Trí dies in a helicopter crash near Bien Hoa Air Base. Photojournalist François Sully leapt 75 feet (23 m) from the burning helicopter but later died of his injuries.

23 February 1971, – Lt. William Calley confessed and implicated Captain Ernest Medina in My Lai massacre. Lt. Calley was the only one to be court marshaled.

23 February 1971, During Operation Lam Son, communist troops overran two South Vietnamese battalions 16 miles from the border of Laos. In Operation Lam Son 719, the South Vietnamese advance into Laos grinds to a halt. The operation began on February 8. It included a limited incursion by South Vietnamese forces into Laos to disrupt the communist supply and infiltration network in Laos along Route 9 adjacent to the two northern provinces of South Vietnam. The operation was supported by U.S. airpower (aviation and airlift) and artillery (firing across the border from firebases inside South Vietnam). Observers described the drive on Hanoi’s supply routes and depots as some of the “bloodiest fighting” of the war. Enemy resistance was initially light as a 12,000-man spearhead of the South Vietnamese army thrust its way across the border into the communists’ deepest jungle stronghold, with the town of Tchepone, a major enemy supply center on Route 9 in Laos, as the major objective. However, resistance stiffened in the second week as the North Vietnamese rushed reinforcements to the area. On this day, the big push bogged down around 16 miles from the border, after bloody fighting in which the communist troops overran two South Vietnamese battalions.


Today is 23 February 2021
Vietnam War Memorial facts
152 Names on the wall were born on 23 February
358 Names on the wall died on 23 February
245 men earned the Medal Of Honor in the Vietnam war and 160 of those men are listed on the wall

Other wall information/stories/quotes; None on this day


Vietnam war info of interest, Quotes, etc.

“Mr. President, I love you, but you're wrong.”- Paul Harvey (To Richard Nixon, on the Vietnam war)

“I fought as an infantry Marine on one of the Vietnam War's harshest battlefields. After leaving the Marine Corps, I studied law and found a fulfilling career as an author and journalist. But again and again, I came back to the personal fulfillment that can only come from public service.” Jim Webb

“Back in the old Corp, we weren't training those privates to infiltrate into the peacetime Marine Corp. We were training those privates to go to Vietnam.” R. Lee Ermey


Links of interest?

Looking for a Brother or sister you served with? This might help you.
The Viet Nam Veterans Home Page to be quite useful in finding living veterans. They maintain a Lost and Found section http://www.vietvet.org/lostfnd.htm, with listings of people looking for people.

To find information on the availability of U.S. Navy deck logs during the Vietnam war era, check out this link. https://historyhub.history.gov/community/military-records/blog/2020/10/08/update-on-availability-of-vietnam-era-1956-1978-us-navy-deck-logs

Unit Reunions, Homecomings, Gatherings, Newsletters, Etc. can be found at http://www.vietvet.org/unitlist.htm
There are two replica versions of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial that tour the United States regularly. The first of them which is called The Moving Wall, has been traveling the country for almost twenty years. You can find their schedule at http://www.themovingwall.org/
Where can I find the latest information on the status of Prisoners of War and those listed as Missing in Action? A: The Library of Congress maintains POW/MIA information at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pow/powhome.html


Quotes;

"The struggle of today, is not altogether for today--it is for a vast future also."- Abraham Lincoln (December 3, 1861)

"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”-Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz - March 16, 1945

"But I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free." - William Henry Harrison

“If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?”- Will Rogers

“If the world were a logical place, men would ride side saddle.”- Rita Mae Brown



Three (3) Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for actions taken in the Vietnam War on this day 23 February in Vietnam War history; Specialist Fourth Class Larry Gilbert Dahl, US Army, Staff Sergeant Robert Willard Hartsock, US Army, Lance Corporal Lester William Weber.


Larry Gilbert Dahl (June 10, 1949 – February 23, 1971) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Biography;
Dahl joined the Army from Portland, Oregon in 1969, and by February 23, 1971 was serving as a Specialist Four in the 359th Transportation Company, 27th Transportation Battalion, U.S. Army Support Command. He along with Richard Bond, Ronald Mallory and Charles Huser had become friends with the crew of the gun truck, Brutus, and helped clean the truck every time it came off the road. The current crew said that if anything happened to them, they wanted those four men to take their place. On November 21, 1970, Brutus was hit by either rockets or mortars killing Jimmy Ray Callison and wounding William Kagel & Ernest Quintana. The gun truck was turned over to their good friends who cleaned it up and repainted it - they wanted the enemy to see no signs of damage.
On February 23, 1971, two fuel convoys headed west on QL 19 from Qui Nhon. Richard Bond had the day off and SGT Hector Diaz had taken his place as the NCOIC of Brutus. The lead fuel convoy escorted by gun trucks of the 545th Transportation Company was ambushed as it crossed over the top of An Khe Pass by a significantly large enemy force. The 359th convoy at the bottom of the pass halted and the gun trucks asked if the lead convoy needed help. So Brutus, The Untouchable, The Misfits and gun jeep Li'l Brutus raced up the mountain pass into the kill zone in that order. The ambush had probably been going on for over 30 minutes when the gun truck crews in the lead convoy heard the mini-gun of Brutus firing as it came around the bend. Morale significantly improved. Ron Mallory pulled Brutus right up next to a burning fuel tanker as was their policy. The fight continued for about another 15 minutes before it then died down.

Thinking it was over, Brutus and The Misfits decided to turn around and head back to their convoy. As Ron Mallory backed his truck up to turn around, three or four enemy soldiers attacked it and tossed a hand grenade in the gun box. Larry Dahl saw it first and without any regard for his own safety threw his body on it to protect his buddies. The resulting explosion killed him and wounded Diaz and Huser. Mallory raced his truck to the safety of the nearest check point to get his crew medevacked. Vietnam gun truck veterans cite Dahl's ultimate sacrifice as evidence of the strong bond among gun truck crews.
Dahl, aged 21 at his death, was buried in Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon.

DAHL, LARRY G.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, 359th Transportation Company, 27th Transportation Battalion, U.S. Army Support Command. Place and date: An Khe, Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, 23 February 1971. Entered service at: Portland, Oregon. Born: 6 October 1949, Oregon City, Or.

Medal of Honor citation;
Specialist Dahl's official Medal of Honor citation reads: Sp4c. Dahl distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a machine gunner on a gun truck near An Khe, Binh Dinh Province. The gun truck in which Sp4c. Dahl was riding was sent with 2 other gun trucks to assist in the defense of a convoy that had been ambushed by an enemy force. The gun trucks entered the battle zone and engaged the attacking enemy troops with a heavy volume of machine gun fire, causing a large number of casualties. After a brief period of intense fighting the attack subsided. As the gun trucks were preparing to return to their normal escort duties, an enemy hand grenade was thrown into the truck in which Sp4c. Dahl was riding. Instantly realizing the great danger, Sp4c. Dahl called a warning to his companions and threw himself directly onto the grenade. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his safety, and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, Sp4c. Dahl saved the lives of the other members of the truck crew while sacrificing his own. Sp4c. Dahl's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit and the U.S. Army.



Robert Willard Hartsock (January 24, 1945 – February 23, 1969) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.

Biography;
Hartsock joined the Army from Fairmont, West Virginia in 1967, and by February 23, 1969 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in the 44th Infantry Platoon Scout Dog (IPSD), 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. During a firefight on that day, in Hậu Nghĩa Province, Republic of Vietnam during Operation Toan Thang III, Hartsock smothered an enemy satchel charge with his body to protect those around him and was mortally wounded in the explosion.
Hartsock, aged 24 at his death, was buried in Rocky Gap Veterans Cemetery, Flintstone, Maryland.

HARTSOCK, ROBERT W.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 44th Infantry Platoon, 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hau Nghia, Province, Republic of Vietnam, 23 February 1969. Entered service at: Fairmont, W. Va. Born: 24 January 1945, Cumberland, Md.

Medal of Honor citation;
Staff Sergeant Hartsock's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Hartsock, distinguished himself in action while serving as section leader with the 44th Infantry Platoon. When the Dau Tieng Base Camp came under a heavy enemy rocket and mortar attack, S/Sgt. Hartsock and his platoon commander spotted an enemy sapper squad which had infiltrated the camp undetected. Realizing the enemy squad was heading for the brigade tactical operations center and nearby prisoner compound, they concealed themselves and, although heavily outnumbered, awaited the approach of the hostile soldiers. When the enemy was almost upon them, S/Sgt. Hartsock and his platoon commander opened fire on the squad. As a wounded enemy soldier fell, he managed to detonate a satchel charge he was carrying. S/Sgt. Hartsock, with complete disregard for his life, threw himself on the charge and was gravely wounded. In spite of his wounds, S/Sgt. Hartsock crawled about 5 meters to a ditch and provided heavy suppressive fire, completely pinning down the enemy and allowing his commander to seek shelter. S/Sgt. Hartsock continued his deadly stream of fire until he succumbed to his wounds. S/Sgt. Hartsock’s extraordinary heroism and profound concern for the lives of his fellow soldiers were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.



Lester William Weber (July 30, 1948 – February 23, 1969) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam in February 1969.
Early years;
Weber was born on July 30, 1948, in Aurora, Illinois. He graduated from St. Isaac Jogues Grammar School in Hinsdale, Illinois, in 1962, then attended Hinsdale South High School for two years.

Marine Corps service;
He left high school to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Chicago on September 30, 1966. He subsequently enlisted in the Regular Marine Corps on January 23, 1967.
He completed recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California in March 1967. After he transferred to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, he received individual combat training with Company Z, and weapons special training with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Training Regiment. He was promoted to Private First Class on June 1, 1967.

WEBER, LESTER W.
Rank and organization: Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company M, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, 23 February 1969. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 30 July 1948, Aurora, Ill.

Medal of Honor citation;
The President of the United States in the name of the Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
LANCE CORPORAL LESTER W. WEBER
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Machine Gun Squad Leader with Company M, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, in action against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 23 February 1969, the Second Platoon of Company M was dispatched to the Bo Ban area of Hieu Duc District in Quang Nam Province to assist a squad from another platoon which had become heavily engaged with a well-entrenched enemy battalion. While moving through a rice paddy covered with tall grass, Lance Corporal Weber's platoon came under heavy attack from concealed hostile soldiers. He reacted by plunging into the tall grass, successfully attacking one enemy and forcing eleven others to break contact. Upon encountering a second North Vietnamese Army soldier, he overwhelmed him in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Observing two other soldiers firing upon his comrades from behind a dike, Lance Corporal Weber ignored the frenzied firing of the enemy and, racing across the hazardous area, dived into their position. He neutralized the position by wresting weapons from the hands of the two soldiers and overcoming them. Although by now the target for concentrated fire from hostile riflemen, Lance Corporal Weber remained in a dangerously exposed position to shout words of encouragement to his emboldened companions. As he moved forward to attack a fifth enemy soldier, he was mortally wounded. Lance Corporal Weber's indomitable courage, aggressive fighting spirit and unwavering devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
/S/ RICHARD M. NIXON